"Your goat—will it not be lost in the forest?" he asked.
"No," answered the girl quietly. "She never goes too far, and when I call her she returns to me. She is my sister."
"Fear is your brother, and a she-goat your sister!" said the young man, smiling.
The girl turned her head toward the grove, and gave voice to a few short exclamations. Immediately there came from the thicket the sound of quick, racing steps, and among the green birch branches appeared the snow-white hairy animal. It stood still and looked at the two people sitting beside each other.
"Come here!" called Golda.
The goat approached and stood near her. Golda caressed the animal's neck, and Meir did the same smiling. The goat gave a short bleat, jumped aside, and in the twinkling of an eye was biting at one of the birches.
"How obedient she is," said Meir.
"She is very fond of me," said Golda gravely. "I brought her up in the same way that zeide did me. She was a little kid when zeide brought her home and made me a present of her. I used to carry her in my arms and feed her with my hands, and when she was sick I sang to her, as zeide used to sing to me."
In speaking thus she smiled, and the smile gave her a childish appearance. She looked not more than fourteen years old.
"Would you like to have another little kid?" asked Meir.